LG Optimus GJ review: Wild child

Display

LG's True HD IPS Plus display has always been one of the preferred LCD panels around, and the good viewing angles and sharp colors found on the Optimus GJ are a testament to that. While a 720p display seems almost archaic in a modern-day market overflowing with 1080p flagships, the quality of the LCD panel found in the GJ is certainly towards the upper range when it comes to smartphones.

Images on the screen indeed look great and colors pop, especially the reds. For display purists, LG panels feature some of the most accurate color reproduction to be found on smart devices.

The True-HD IPS + display is impressive

We also compared the Optimus GJ to the regular Optimus G. The smaller phone has a screen of 318ppi and, while you can't quite see individual pixels, you can still notice jaggies on curves and diagonals.

The Optimus GJ's screen has higher brightness, though the contrast is somewhat worse. It has a noticeable advantage in viewing angles, the Optimus G screen starts showing a shift in contrast earlier and the effect is much stronger. The Optimus GJ screen is a bit more reflective though.

Display test	50% brightness			100% brightness
	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio
LG Optimus GJ	0.15	149	964	0.65	662	1018
LG Optimus G	0.14	197	1445	0.33	417	1438
LG Optimus G Pro	-	-	-	0.41	611	1489
LG Optimus 4X HD	0.34	369	1077	0.68	750	1102
Sony Xperia ZR	0.13	128	1001	0.58	581	1004
Sony Xperia Z	-	-	-	0.70	492	705
Oppo Find 5	0.17	176	1123	0.51	565	1107
Nokia Lumia 920	-	-	-	0.48	513	1065
Apple iPhone 5	0.13	200	1490	0.48	640	1320

The capacitive sensor on the screen is very sensitive and will detect touches even if you're wearing gloves, using a long fingernail or an improvised stylus (like keys, some pens, etc.). Unfortunately, there was also a fair number of accidental taps as the screen is a bit too receptive.

Sunlight contrast ratio

• Nokia 808 PureView
  4.698
• Apple iPhone 5
  3.997
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
  3.419
• Nokia Lumia 925
  3.402
• Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4
  3.352
• Samsung Omnia W
  3.301
• Samsung Galaxy S
  3.155
• Samsung Galaxy S4 mini
  3.127
• Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
  3.118
• Nokia N9
  3.069
• Samsung Galaxy Note
  2.970
• HTC One S
  2.901
• Samsung Galaxy S II
  2.832
• Samsung Galaxy S II Plus
  2.801
• Huawei Ascend P1
  2.655
• Sony Xperia ZR
  2.672
• Nokia Lumia 900
  2.562
• Nokia Lumia 720
  2.512
• HTC One
  2.504
• Sony Xperia Z
  2.462
• Samsung Galaxy S III mini
  2.422
• Motorola RAZR i
  2.366
• Samsung Galaxy Note II
  2.307
• Apple iPhone 4S
  2.269
• HTC One X
  2.158
• Nokia N8
  2.144
• Oppo Find 5
  2.088
• BlackBerry Z10
  2.051
• Apple iPhone 4
  2.016
• HTC One mini
  2.003
• Sony Ericsson Xperia ray
  1.955
• Samsung Galaxy Camera
  1.938
• HTC Butterfly
  1.873
• Sony Xperia V
  1.792
• Sony Xperia U
  1.758
• LG Optimus 4X HD
  1.691
• HTC One V
  1.685
• BlackBerry Q5
  1.682
• LG Optimus Vu
  1.680
• LG Optimus GJ
  1.666
• HTC Desire V
  1.646
• LG Optimus G Pro
  1.552
• LG Optimus 3D
  1.542
• Nokia Asha 302
  1.537
• Nokia Lumia 610
  1.432
• Gigabyte GSmart G1355
  1.361
• HTC Desire C
  1.300
• Nokia Asha 501
  1.270
• LG Optimus L7
  1.269
• LG Optimus L9
  1.227
• Meizu MX
  1.221
• Sony Xperia E dual
  1.203
• Samsung Galaxy Pocket
  1.180
• Sony Xperia tipo
  1.166
• Samsung Galaxy mini 2
  1.114

You can find all about our display testing routines here.

Battery life

The LG Optimus GJ features a 2,280 mAh battery, which helped it achieve an endurance rating of 39h in our dedicated test. That's not a particularly great score, but it still means you will be able to go through a day of usage without any trouble.

LG Optimus GJ battery test scorecard

You can find out more about our dedicated testing procedures here.